It’s the beginning of the year! Time to explore some January holiday activities designed with upper elementary in mind!
Happy New Year! I love January because it is the perfect time to take stock of how the year is going and decide if there is anything new I want to add in or (even better) decide if there is anything I want to edit out.
Since students are on a break, and everyone is coming back fresh. We get to decide how we want the rest of the year to look moving forward.
One way you might decide to change up the year is by using holidays to create structure in the classroom. By designing lessons, activities, and readings around holidays, everything has a sense of structure, but it doesn’t feel stagnant or old since the content core (the holiday) is constantly changing.
January includes several major holidays, including New Year’s, MLK Day, and sometimes the Chinese New Year. Simply celebrating these three holidays could be enough to structure your classroom activities during January. Still, if you want to add some daily celebrations to your year, we have a few more fun January holiday activities and ideas to consider.
First, though, if you want to make this new year memorable for your students every day, consider adding these Holiday of the Day Writing Prompts into your daily routine. This resource includes writing prompts about daily holidays for each day of the month, making it perfect for both traditional and homeschool environments!
If you aren’t ready to commit to the whole bundle, you may want to start with the January Holiday of the Day Bundle, which you can look at by clicking here!
But let’s return to our January holiday activities and ideas because there are many fun ones you may want to use with your students!
January Holiday Activities and Ideas (for unexpected holidays)
New Year’s Day (January 1st)
Kick off the new year with some Close Reads with Mystery Pictures. These New Year’s Close Reads include passages about the ball dropping in New York City, what New Year’s Day is like around the world, and the history of New Year’s Day. These passages can be shared with students both leading up to the New Year and after!
This is obviously not an ‘unexpected’ holiday, but I want to make sure that you have the resources you need to get going right after the break!
National Trivia Day (January 4th)
For all of you who love some trivia, this is your day to shine!
I love this holiday, and I think there are many different ways to play with trivia on this January holiday.
First, you could host a trivia competition in the classroom with questions on various subjects. I think it would be fun if you included pop culture references from the last year and also incorporated some knowledge students might remember from previous years.
You can also ask students to create their own trivia questions and discuss what it takes to make a good question. Then, they can quiz their classmates throughout the day.
Lastly, you could do some deep thinking by exploring common trivia facts and questions and discussing why those topics and types of questions might be popular!
International Thank You Day (January 11th)
To begin, teach students about the format of mail. Many of your students may not know how to address an envelope, how much to include for postage, or even how to lay out a letter or note.
Then, give students some time to write a thank you note to someone who has helped them or made an impact.
I strongly suggest sending the notes through snail mail as it is more memorable for recipients than a typical email.
I understand that sending through mail is an extra cost, but you may be able to get parents to donate the stamps for this kind of unique project.
Make Your Dreams Come True Day (January 13th)
Thinking about and considering their dreams can sometimes be a big feat for students as they are not used to thinking expansively. As you brainstorm with students about their dreams, consider asking pointed questions.
For example…
- What is one of your hopes/goals for the next week? The next month? The next year?
- What would you be or do if you could do or be anything?
- Who really inspires you? Why?
- What kinds of experiences do you hope to have one day?
When students have taken the time to brainstorm, talk about creating action steps to achieving those goals. Maybe even watch some videos about setting and attaining goals.
Thesaurus Day (January 18th)
What a great day to spend some time focusing on vocabulary! Although many students won’t use a traditional, physical thesaurus, we can still spend this day learning about why thesaurus’ are helpful and the importance and use of synonyms and antonyms in language and communication.
We have a great digital review activity you can try on Thesaurus Day! This Synonym and Antonym Game allows students to move their digital game pieces around a board while answering questions related to synonyms and antonyms. In honor of ‘Thesaurus Day,’ consider giving students an ‘old fashioned’ thesaurus to use as a reference while they play!
Penguin Awareness Day (January 20th)
Penguin Awareness Day is a great day to learn more about penguins, whether that is learning about different species, their habitat, or even what they eat and how they survive in the cold.
Then, engage students in a penguin-themed art project or game.
Researching and discussing penguins can be a natural extension of your science work. Students can hypothesize and make predictions about penguins and then research to see if they’re correct.
There’s a penguin passage featured in my December Close Reads set that would be perfect for this day.
National Compliment Day (January 24th)
Encourage students to give genuine compliments more often. We often overlook or overthink compliments, but noticing someone’s efforts or making a positive comment about them should be our first instinct rather than something we shy away from.
On this day, give students examples of both giving and taking compliments (as both are often hard), and encourage them to give genuine compliments to others through notes, in person, or even in secret.
National Geographic Day (January 27th)
Today is a great way to explore the world through the lens and writing of National Geographic.
The National Geographic website has many videos and articles you can explore with students.
Encourage students to explore and share about some of the people, places, and things they found while exploring with National Geographic! If you find some topics your students enjoy, consider adding extra time into your lessons for the next week to explore those topics further.
National Hot Chocolate Day (January 31st)
This is a great day to get out some hot chocolate and take a warm drink break in the middle of the day, but what is your favorite kind of hot chocolate?
Do you like to add mint sticks or extra chocolate chips? Do you like marshmallows?
Turn this holiday into a data collection day, and encourage students to do some math-related activities related to the hot chocolate preferences of their classmates and others in their school!
Chinese New Year (Sometimes falls in January)
Although it doesn’t happen every year, Chinese New Year occasionally falls in January.
For this holiday, we have another set of Close Reads to help your students learn more about Chinese New Year and why it is unique.
You may also find this blog post about Chinese New Year Books and Activities helpful as you decide how to celebrate and learn with your upper elementary students!
January Close Reads
As we move toward the end of the year (I know that can be scary to think about!), we are also a lot more aware that state testing is fast approaching. We must ensure students practice and review the many skills we’ve been working on with them throughout the year.
Close reads can be a great way to incorporate reading test practice into daily work.
These January Close Reads cover a variety of January-related topics.
The reading passages we’ve included in this set of close reads are “Midnight Fireworks,” a fictional story about a squirrel family and a human family enjoying fireworks at midnight. “Survival in the Arctic,” an informational passage about polar bears and how they survive in freezing temperatures, and “Blizzards,” an informational passage about three devastating blizzards from history.
Entering January can give us a feeling of starting fresh after having a little time off for winter break, but it can also make us feel a little edgy as we begin to enter the testing season and the end of the year. The January holiday activities and ideas in this list will inspire you and make your life a little easier as you plan for the next month and add in or edit out different types of activities.
For even more monthly ideas, check out the full-year list of monthly blog posts below!
- January Holiday Activities and Ideas
- February Holiday Activities and Ideas
- March Holiday Activities and Ideas (Coming Soon)
- April Holiday Activities and Idea
- May Holiday Activities and Ideas
- June Holiday Activities and Ideas
- July Holiday Activities and Ideas
- August Holiday Activities and Ideas
- September Holiday Activities and Ideas
- October Holiday Activities and Ideas
- November Holiday Activities and Ideas
- December Holiday Activities and Ideas
